The Northern's Quarters Latest Addition...
Trof NQ
Thomas Street, Northern Quarter
Not to be confused with the Trof in Fallowfield, this is the second in the series of quirky home-from-home, student-cum-post-grad, creative, drinking venues. Trof NQ is simply huge compared to its mother. And yet you still get that cosy, just popped into somewhere nice feel, which made the original Trof a god-given haven for the cool-conscious chatting masses.
The management obviously realised the original was just too damn small for the growing demand and so splashed out on a new premises, on three very different yet very Trof-styled floors, all with great seating areas. There’s little hidey places for casual get togethers with mates, galleon-style pues for proper drinking sessions, chez lounges for couples, leather sofas for chillage and a wonderfully, almost rustic, comfortable feel throughout. The addition of the Montana Lounge is a stroke of genius, on the third floor next to the ‘unisex or are they?’ toilets, it always feels like you should introduce yourself to everyone when you enter the lounge, just in the cosy way it’s lit and laid out.
The food is what made the first Trof a smash, and they have done this again. With unashamed, abashed, fervour and style they serve mint lamb burgers during the day, and New-York style pastrami on rye, whilst deli boards of huge proportions see the traditional continental style, battling with the middle-east for your delectation. They can all be washed down with non conventional Juju ginger ale and crazy Ed’s chilli beer.
Yet with the three floors and a quite wonderful miniature balcony (for the one lucky group at a time) the new Trof is not just food. Its chillage on a massive scale, friendly and fun, but at the same time consciously cool enough to impress even the most jaded of NQ-goer’s. The music policy is leftfield, in order to go beyond bounds of normalcy, with high end offerings from obscure artists, who you know you really should have heard of, if only you had paid more attention.
The likes of Andy Votel and Dom Thomas have a residence with B-Music and acts echoing ethereal folk rock rub shoulders with DJs from around the world. Beautiful people with beautiful music, Flotsam and Jetsam, almost head into Dolly Parton territory, and the world famous Trof quiz offers the chance to pit your wits against Mr Spam Fritiuiz and his cockerel of joy – the world is simply not big enough.
Perhaps Trof put it best when they say the place is ‘jam sessions, quasi-political folk music, street art, jugs of pimm’s, bands with roman orgy-esque names, bon viveurs, highbrow indie, raconteurs, northern quarter bands with dirty in the title’. Great if you understand it, and perhaps even better when you don’t. Trof the legend continues…
Words: Danny Sodergren
